Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
A popular stalwart of an animal charity has packed her bags and left the kingdom for a new life of retirement with her husband in Bali.
Expat Brit Claire Cunningham played a significant role in the creation of a new animal welfare centre in Askar forthe Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA).
Her husband, Colin, the former head of special projects with the Ministry of Works, also helped in an advisory capacity on the project too.
Claire, 58, from Redhill in the English county of Surrey, who arrived in Bahrain in 1983 to join Gulf Air, said: “A little piece of my heart will remain here, having spent more than half my life in Bahrain.
“It will be hard to say goodbye to the place that I call home, that I’ve seen grow and prosper over the 33 years I’ve been here, and to leave the many people I’ve worked with and the friends that we’ve made throughout our time on the island.
“It is especially hard to leave behind the BSPCA which I’ve now been involved with for almost 10 years.
“I am very proud of what we have done over my time with the society. We made the dream of a purpose-built animal shelter come true after 10 years of fund raising.
“We have instigated policies and procedures to help make the shelter run better and our Thrift Shop has become the largest on the island with a very diverse stock and it provides a regular income to keep the animal shelter running.”
Little did she know that back in 2007, when asked by the BSPCA to volunteer and ‘type a few letters’ it would turn into an almost full-time vocation for her, running the background administration for the organisation.
That ‘bit of typing’ evolved into other areas, writing all the articles for a monthly newsletter, producing posters and PR material, formulating procedures for fundraising events and creating a manual to guide future volunteers on what needs to be done, gathering a network of supporters for gift donations and, in the last two years, dreaming up ideas for events - organising and running some of them.
Her work increased when the BSPCA’s executive committee made the decision to go ahead with construction of a new animal welfare centre as there were finally enough funds in the account to cover part of the build.
Glasgow-born Colin, 55, who moved to Bahrain when he was nine with his parents, agreed to oversee the architectural planning and to guide Joyce Hughes, the project manager.
“We had to approach many companies to request assistance or supply of items or equipment at cost price which entailed an awful lot of letter-writing as social media hadn’t really taken off then,”Claire explained.
“With Colin advising the procedures to follow, Joyce leading the project and myself providing the admin, along with the rest of the committee we brought the BSPCA into a new era.
“It took a lot of persuasion to get companies to donate time, materials and expertise to build the place but it paid off as we now have a purpose-built centre which belies the fact that, behind the scenes, we are still a small charity run by a very small group of paid staff and a voluntary executive committee.”
The BSPCA left its old shelter in Shakoorain 2012 as it had become too expensive to maintain and there was a lack of space with the charity ‘bursting at the seams with animals’.
Friends from the BSPCA gathered to bidfarewell and wish the couple the best of luck at a gathering at the Dilmun Clubin Saar, close to their former home in Bahrain.
“When I first arrived I used to look at people and wonder how they had managed to spend so long here, thinking to myself that after a couple of years I’d be back home but be warned, once you’ve spent two years here you tend to stay on, and on, and on!” said Claire.
“Bahrain has a lot going for it and both of us hope that all expats enjoy their stay on this little island as much as we have. We will miss what has been our home for a very long time but wish the country well in its journey forward and we will certainly keep an eye on what’s going on here from afar.”
